John Reed joins Roche pharma as global R&D head

17 Jan 2013, BioSpectrum Bureau , BioSpectrum

Singapore: The board of directors of Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute revealed that Dr John C Reed has accepted the position of head of Roche pharma research and early development. Dr Reed has also accepted to become member of the corporate executive committee. Dr Kristiina Vuori, president of Sanford-Burnham, will assume all leadership responsibilities on an interim basis. Following the management transition, Dr Reed will retain his association with the institute through an adjunct professor appointment.

Mr Wainwright Fishburn, chairman, Sanford-Burnham's board of trustrees, said that, "John has led Sanford-Burnham through a decade of tremendous success and growth, particularly in translational research, and we wish him the best as he moves to a new stage of his career. We have a strong foundation for continued growth, and we have complete confidence in Kristiina's ability to lead through the management transition."

Dr Reed said that, "I am grateful to have led Sanford-Burnham over the past decade, especially in the growth of the institute's work in translational research. While I am sad to be leaving the institute, I look forward to the potential for collaborations in the future between the two organizations. Dr Vuori and I have worked side-by-side in leading Sanford-Burnham, so she is uniquely qualified to guide a smooth transition and continued excellence."

Under Dr Reed's leadership, Sanford-Burnham opened a second research campus at Florida, US. Also, the institute ranked number one worldwide for scientific impact, as measured in citations per publication, in the field of biology and biochemistry for the decade of 1999-2009.

It also became the third-largest recipient of NIH funding among all laboratory research-based organizations in the nation, and second most efficient in innovation, based on patents issued per grant dollars awarded. In 2010, the institute received its largest single donation of $50 million from Mr T Denny Sanford (the institute has been renamed after him).